The Tigress Unveiled
by Luddles
Summary: Link returns to Ordon Village, when things seem to be normal... until a new threat to the Triforce appears and Link can't be the hero! LinkxIlia
1. Chapter 1

**Zelda: The Tigress Unveiled **

**Asuka Neko**

**Chapter One**

**Rainy Morning, Sunny Afternoon**

Link

Hyrule field sometimes seems never-ending to me. The sky is as wide as could be, and the sun beaming down, not too hot, though. That day, however, was not such. It was gray, stormy, and a light rain was clinging to everything, making it even more unbearably dingy. The usually beautiful features of the valley were drowned out by the fog and overcast light, and the palace was unlived in since the recent siege. It was altogether uninviting.

But rain did nary a thing to dampen my spirits. As luck would have it, I was doing something of interest (though the journey was quite unbearable). I was on the road back to my hometown, Ordon, a little village set deep in the woods. I slowed my horse Epona to a halt momentarily, wondering what I was leaving behind and what I was traveling towards.

I glanced back at the palace for a moment, the crimson flags flapping loosely in the wet wind. I was leaving behind a life where I was a hero. And I was leaving Zelda. She was more than a little attached to me, but I felt quite otherwise. My heart was empty with love for her as the castle was empty of life that day. But I was going home. To people who had known me for my whole life, and saw the inside of me, not just the hero who'd saved Hyrule from the shadows threatening to overtake it. So it was better to go forward.

I sat there for a moment longer, watching as the sky began to clear over the vague direction of Ordon Village, in amazement at how blue it had become. The rain was beginning to end. I smiled, and shook the water out of my hair before continuing to ride without further hesitation.

Ilia

Dismal day, really. The rain came down in buckets all that morning, until about noon. Then it slowed to a drizzle, and then it finally stopped, thank goodness. I stepped outside, not even trying to avoid the mud that had been stirred up by the rain. After it rains in Ordon, everything is soaked, so it's practically impossible not to get the least bit wet. I stood next to the path, feeling the wet, cold mud squish beneath my toes. Wet and sunny is possibly the best combination of the weather.

I wondered if the winds that had blown across had knocked the ladder off Link's house. It did fall so very often. Well, I would find out later. Right then, I was just enjoying the atmosphere around me, especially the very smell that rain causes, when the ground gets all wet and everything is clean. The sun began to warm me, all except for my feet, which were still in the mud. There was not a chance that I wouldn't be bathing later on. Obviously, when it's all wet like such, I was one to get filthy in all of the mud.

Ladylike did not suit me well, I thought as I began to walk down the path. I didn't bother putting on shoes as always. Besides, my feet would only get wet again, and shoes take an age to dry out.

I opened the gate, which must have been blown shut, as it was never really closed. The ladder had blown over, so I replaced it, and attempted to retie the ropes that held it in place, though they always came undone again whenever I tried it.

I'd been home in Ordon for about a fortnight now. It was rather lovely, back here, but boring. Without my friend Link, there was positively nothing to do. He was the one who thought of new things to explore, and I was the one who held him back, so he didn't do anything foolish. I could barely imagine the trouble he must have gotten himself into without me on that journey he went on. I sat underneath the place by his door where the tree jutted out a little. Link's house was perched in the hollowed-out trunk of a very old tree. I shook one of the branches and watched the water drip off of the leaves before going inside.

Maybe it would have seemed foolish to go into his house without him knowing, but I did so anyway. It was just the feel of the place, slightly disoriented, but lovely all the same. I quickly glanced at the photographs on the wall. They'd always hung there, one of Link and his family when he was very young, and another of him and I.

I smiled a little and climbed up another of the many ladders that he used to access the different levels of his house. When one lives in a tree, there's not much room for stairs. I was kneeling on his bed, looking out the window. He could see the entire town out that spot, and I could pick out each and every house. Ordon was so small that I knew very well where everyone lived. I pulled my head back inside the window and flopped onto the bed, inhaling deeply. Even though he'd been gone nearly a year, the place still smelled like him. It reminded me of how the forest smells on an afternoon when the sun's been shining all day, and everything is golden and just starting to cool.

Silly thoughts, really. Recollections of when I'd believed he would come back. Now he was a hero, the word had spread around Hyrule like wildfire. And he wouldn't come back after that. I sat up, and leapt off the ladder without bothering to climb down, before leaving the house. Who knows, I'd probably be back there soon. I always was.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Returning Home**

Something sounded from inside the forest. It was like a horse's hooves thumping in the mud. A traveler? A merchant? Who would be all of the way out here in Ordon, anyway? That's what I'd like to know. The sound grew louder, and I turned toward the gate, watching. In the distance, a brown shape appeared.

It was a horse, most likely, and as it grew closer, I could make out the features of the rider. He was tall, with long blond hair that was rather messy and bright blue eyes. He was wearing all green, just like the hero of old was supposed to… Only one thought began to course through my head.

It was Link. It was Link. It had to be, that was the only explanation for this. The rider slowed his horse awhile before he reached the place where I was standing, and started to run, colliding into me and embracing me warmly. Yep. Link, for sure. I hugged him back, and we were both laughing.

"I thought you wouldn't come back!" I said. He let go of me and stared at me strangely with his head tilted to the side.

"You're kidding," he said. Link was the most sarcastic person I'd ever met, and it would probably take me a short while to get that straight again. "Of course I'd come back!" he nearly shouted, and hugged me again.

"I've missed you like crazy," I said. He smiled. His entire body was warm all over, and his smile was genuine.

He was just as happy as I was. We were best friends, there was no denial, and we'd been separated nearly a year, with only the occasional meeting cut short by the fact that he had to go and do something else of apparent importance. He pressed his lips to my cheek, and then took a step back, looking at me and grinning widely. His eyes sparkled like they never had before.

Link

The very second I looked at her, something happened. I can't explain it, something inside of me just changed. White-hot fire leapt inside of my chest, and I could feel myself blush as she stared back, her green eyes bright and happy. She held my hands for a moment longer, and then let go. Nothing could express how happy both of us were, no action, no depth of words, nothing. Nothing but that smile that was on her face.

She turned a little, and then left me standing there. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Come on! Everyone else will be waiting for you!" Though I desperately wanted to still stay with her, alone, I followed her into the village where everyone I'd ever known was standing, waiting for me. It was quite a sight. They all didn't seem to realize at first that I was exactly the same person as I'd been before. They just didn't know how to thank me. Sure, I'd done a lot, but it all had a point behind it. I hadn't done it for the glory of being a hero. It was because I was the only one who could. If I didn't, no one else would.

But I hadn't changed in the least. I was still the same person I had been, except much better in the ways of swordfighting things that are rather large and bent on killing me. As is obvious, I retained my sense of humor, and my love for doing nothing at all. I'd also come back with a good deal more interesting things to talk about, which was precisely what was going on that evening.

We were all up at the ranch that night, Talon, Colin, Beth, Malo, and I. Well, Ilia was nowhere to be seen. She'd had something to do, apparently. It was rather odd of her not to hang around with us, but it wasn't like I should have cared. But I did.

Anyhow, Talon wanted to know all about my adventures, and so I obliged in telling them. They were all revolted when I explained about the giant spiders, though I had been much more disgusted upon actually seeing them. It was only when I told someone else about my journey when I realized exactly how dangerous it had been. When I'd been fighting something, it didn't seem quite as risky as it did telling someone, and actually having a split second to think about it. I never even imagined what would have happened if the living skeletons that I'd been up against couldn't be killed. They were already dead. But I'd done it anyway. When I thought about it, the whole thing sounded rather stupid.

Suddenly, as I was sitting there, someone walked up behind me and poked me in the back, and I promptly fell over. "Ilia!" I shouted, knowing that only she would think of something like that. She grinned, and I stood.

"Gotcha," she said. "Anyhow, I just stopped by wondering why in all Hyrule someone's sent you a letter. You've only been back a day." She handed me a sealed letter, and I opened it. "Who's it from?" she asked curiously.

"Zelda," I replied, and started reading it. She tried to peer over my shoulder and get a glance at the letter, so I folded it up and put it in my pocket, thinking I'd read it later.

"Zelda!?" asked Talon, "Ooh, Link's got a girlfriend!"

"I DO NOT!" I roared, and he only grinned. Ilia looked a little… odd. It was about halfway between surprised and angry, and I wasn't sure what to say. She immediately left.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**The Letter and the Squirrel**

Ilia

I could barely believe it. A girlfriend. Zelda. She was actually his girlfriend. I didn't know why I was so angry; it just was how it was. I walked out to the lake, and sat on the edge of the dock, wondering why. Why had he decided to like Zelda? Maybe it was because she was the princess of Hyrule. Maybe it was because she was completely beautiful and everyone loved her, and she liked him too.

And why, oh why hadn't he told me? I would rather he had said that long ago than acting all normal and concealing things. Maybe he was embarrassed or something. But I was still furious. At Link? No. I was mad… at Zelda. I heard footsteps behind me, and knew that it was Link. I didn't want him to see the angry tears in my eyes, so I turned away from him. "Go away." I said.

"I don't want to," he replied, and sat down next to me. I had a sudden urge to push him in the lake.

"Link, go away," I said, my face still turned from him. He rested his hand on my back.

"Ilia," he said, and I finally looked at him. He was startled by how angry and hurt I looked, I could tell. "What's this all about?"

"Oh, nothing but that letter from your girlfriend Zelda that you never said a word about!" I raged at him. He sighed.

"It's not like that," he said. "She likes me, but I really don't care for her. Ilia, please listen!" I turned away again. He continued to talk, even though I pretended not to care. "Well why in all Hyrule do you think I started my journey? It was because you got captured, and I was bound and determined to save you." I continued to stare off into the distance, but shifted myself so that his hand slid off my shoulder. "Ilia, why don't you believe me!?" he asked.

"Because. I can tell. You're making this up. No one would be that determined to save me," I said.

"I could and I was," he said. "And if you refuse to believe even that, just look into my eyes and listen to this." I turned. His blue eyes were filling with tears. Somehow I wasn't so angry anymore. "I love you," he whispered, and kissed me on the cheek for the second time that day before leaving me alone there. It was only a matter of seconds before I got up and ran to hug him. He smiled again.

"Thank you," I said. "Thanks for saving me, and for… everything."

"No problem," he replied. "I was planning on doing it anyway."

I followed him back to his house, looking around at all of the stars. The village was beautiful at night, especially from the window at the very top of Link's house. Actually, the first night after I'd gotten back home, I had gone upstairs and looked out that window, and eventually fallen asleep on his bed.

We climbed up the ladder and walked inside. Link grinned. "Gosh I'm glad to be back," he said. He then noticed the book lying open on the table, and knew that it belonged to me. "Have you been in here since you got back?" he asked. I looked at the floor sheepishly.

"Well, yes," I said. He rolled his eyes.

"Why you do these things, I will never understand."

"Trust me, you'll understand someday."

He looked skeptical, but smiled all the same. "I'm impossibly glad to be home," he said. "Hyrule is kind of… lonely."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Aren't there a ton of people around there?"

"Yes, but I feel much more at home with people whom I've known my entire life," he replied. "Like you."

What he'd said was entirely true. Even though I loved my new friends from Hyrule and Kakariko, it didn't replace being with the people who I'd always known, namely Link. There was just something about spending time with my best friend that wasn't like anything else. I really, really liked him.

Eventually I left his house and wandered home, taking much longer than usual, due to my overpowering thoughts. Was there something more than friendship when it came to Link? True, I knew that every other girl in Hyrule was practically in love with Link, but there was something different than just being attracted to him because he was a hero. Still, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about how handsome he was. I blushed, glad it was dark out.

I opened the door slowly and tried to sneak past my father's bed and upstairs to my room without him noticing, as it was near midnight. Unfortunately, he was standing in the room, wide awake. "Ilia, where have you been?" he demanded as soon as he saw me.

"Um… with Link," I admitted, deciding to tell the truth. If I didn't, my father would know. I was a bad liar. I continued, proceeding to explain why. "We… had something that we needed to talk about." I was referring to the matter involving Zelda.

"You've been away from him for a long time now, haven't you," he noticed.

"Yes, I have," I replied.

"You've both changed a bit," said my father. "I suppose… is anything going on that I should know about?"

"No," I said quickly. At least, there was nothing that I wanted him to know about. True, I tried to be completely honest with my father, but it was difficult to do so when my thoughts about Link weren't entirely sorted out in my head. He seemed to know that I didn't want to talk, and left me alone. I went upstairs, and fell asleep, still wondering exactly why I felt like this.

Link

I finally decided to actually read Zelda's letter long after I'd gotten it. Well, I had attempted to read it earlier, but with Talon shouting, it was impossible. I opened the letter and sat down on my bed, a little annoyed with its contents.

_Link,_

_I know that you have not been gone long, yet I miss you already. It is incredibly difficult to think that you shall never return, and I hope you will rather soon. Yet sometimes I wonder whether or not we were meant to be. I should like you to respond to this letter, as I worry about you sometimes. _

_Love,_

_Zelda_

I did not particularly want to respond to the letter, for fear that it would be extremely awkward, and so I set it on the table until I could think of the proper words to say. I sighed, and stood there for a moment, listening. I heard a faint tapping coming from somewhere near my window.

I followed the noise to its source, a little squirrel sitting in the window, beckoning at me. The squirrels and rabbits and cats all knew that I was a human sometimes and a wolf sometimes. It was only a matter of time before the more dangerous animals found out. I walked outside, and took on my wolf form, staring down at the little squirrel that was still leaping around frantically.

"What is it, Amok?" I asked, knowing perfectly well who my hyper little friend was.

"It's-it's-it's… I smelled something funny, Link, I really did, come smell it, come smell it and tell me what-it-is!" Amok said, speaking very fast as squirrels did when they were worried.

"I doubt I'll be able to smell it anymore, with all the rain we've been having," I pointed out, but followed the squirrel regardless. It led me to a little hollow in a tree where I had spent many a night in the times when it was impossible for me to return to being a human.

"It's right here, Link, right here!" Amok squeaked. "I smelled it, I really did, come tell me what it is! It smelled like a wolf, I think, does it smell like a wolf to you?" I couldn't smell anything except the scent of a wolf in that spot. But telling which wolf it smelled like was a little more difficult, especially since more than one had been there.

"You nut-brain, it smells like me," I said. "Then again, I don't smell like a wolf… there have been other wolves here, though. I think they're trying to find me, so you have nothing to worry about," I said. The little rodent nodded, and we returned to my house, only to find a problem awaiting us.

Ilia was staring right at us. Amok jumped forward, looking at her curiously.

"Stay out of this, Amok!" I growled. But I didn't sound quite the same to Ilia.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

**Night Wolf**

Ilia

I'd only been walking to Link's house, when that wolf jumped out at me. It snarled something terrible, probably daring me to fight or run. That's how wolves were: savage and vicious. I unsheathed my dagger, but every time I got near the wolf, it would jump away. It made no further advances to try and hurt me, but I knew it was just waiting for me to get too close.

I felt my blade hit something, and there was a splash of bright red across the wolf's paw. It ran away, injured and whining, and I returned home, glad that I'd done something to scare them away.

Wolves were a menace in our village, always taking things that didn't belong to them. We tried as hard as we could to get them to stop stealing the goats, but they were quite relentless. As I fell asleep that night, I realized that I had forgotten to go and see Link after fighting that beast, and I laughed at myself for my foolishness. Well, it was far too late to go and visit him now.

I awoke early the next morning, as always, and decided to go see Link. True, he was not a morning person, but didn't mind being woken up earlier than usual. I climbed up the ladder and opened the door, surprised to find him already awake and attempting to bandage his arm, which he'd apparently injured.

"Link, what are you doing?" I asked, and he started and fell over.

"Ilia!? What are you doing here this early?" he demanded, and then seemed to realize exactly how angry he sounded, and stopped talking.

"I just came to talk with you," I explained. He sighed, and finished toying around with the bandage on his arm. I looked curiously at the wound. "What did you do?" I asked. The cut appeared to be near his wrist, and almost on the top of his hand.

"Erm… I was… practicing with my sword, and I cut myself," he said. Something seemed to be wrong about his explanation, but I didn't recognize the fact that he was lying, and believed that he was just embarrassed to admit that he'd hurt himself with his own sword.

I left his house a moment later, as he was trying to reply to Zelda's letter, though he wasn't making much progress. The rest of the day, I saw little of him, until that night when something even stranger happened.

The moon was bright and round above me, and I smiled, looking up at it. A full moon meant that there were supposed to be werewolves. I laughed. Who in Hyrule thought of that old myth? I was going to Link's house to ask if he'd finished his letter to Zelda. I'd been talking to him a lot lately, for some odd reason. However, when I approached his house, something rustled in the woods.

Was it that wolf again? I hid nearby, as the creature appeared once more, growling and hissing again. Suddenly, as a cloud floated over the moon, the wolf's body began to change, and Link stood there. It took me a while to realize that he was the wolf. Any smart person would have confronted him then and there, but I dashed away to my house and cried. He was the wolf.

I was lying in my bed, tears falling from my eyes. Was he a werewolf? Would he hurt me? I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to tell anyone else, for fear of alerting the entire town, but I wanted to know. Why hadn't Link ever told me? Had he been a werewolf his whole life, even when we were little children? I tried to think back to any other times when I'd been with him and there was a full moon, but it was impossible. I couldn't think of anything right now. I continued crying, until sleep overcame me that night.

Link

Ilia started acting oddly the next day. I noticed it straightaway when she didn't come and see me that morning like she usually did. She jumped every time I spoke, and wouldn't be alone with me at all. Something was wrong. I could instantly tell she'd hardly gotten any sleep the night before. And she'd been crying.

I figured I would get her alone and talk with her, as our conversations weren't things she'd like to discuss in front of many others. The truth was, I really loved her, and had long cherished a strange passion when it came to her. But there was still one thing that Ilia didn't know about me, and a few nights ago, she'd been on the verge of finding out. I was a wolf. Not all of the time, but only when I wanted to. Still, no one would understand if they knew. So I wasn't about to tell her. Someday I might have to, but I procrastinated it.

That night, I found Ilia alone on the porch outside her house. "Hey," I said, approaching her calmly. "Can I talk with you?"

"I'd rather you not," she said, glancing behind her at the full moon that had been in the sky for the past two nights. Now why would she look at the moon like that, unless…

"No," I whispered.

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously. I chuckled.

"How did you figure it out?" I asked.

"What are you talking about, Link?"

"You know, don't you? You know I'm a wolf," I said.

"T-that's right," she stammered. I took a step closer to her, still smiling, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Ilia it's fine. I can turn into a wolf when I choose. And I'm still myself. It's just something I learned how to do on my journey. I'm not a werewolf. They don't exist," I explained. She smiled, just a little bit, and hugged me. She didn't have to worry. It would be impossible for me to hurt her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**A Man Hunting for Revenge**

At that moment, it seemed everything would be alright. Of course, it was far from such. I kissed Ilia on the cheek, and then returned home, only to remember that I had to somehow write Zelda and tell her that I didn't love her. If only there was some easier way out. If I had to get this over with, I would. I sat down at the table and began to write.

_Zelda,_

_True, I haven't been away from Hyrule for more than a few days, yet you have already managed to write me a letter with some concern for me. The fact is, Zelda, that your love for me cannot be returned. I say this simply for there is no other way. I don't truly love you as you love me, and I don't want to try and pretend such for fear of hurting you even more. I hope you won't be too saddened by this, but I have found someone else. I write this painfully, yet believing that you won't worry too much about it. I never meant to seem like I had any affection for you, and I'm sorry if I ever did. _

_Link_

Well, it was hard writing something like that, but I didn't love Zelda and I wasn't about to pretend. I sent the letter to her the next day, and I actually told Ilia about it. Ilia and I spent many an afternoon at the Ordon Spring, talking about every subject under the sun. And that was where we were one evening when the strangest feeling came over me.

I wanted to kiss her. I really did. And I didn't know why. She looked at me and smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "Link?" she asked, as she edged closer to me.

"What?" I replied, shaken from my thoughts. I mentally scolded myself for thinking something so strange.

"Do you ever think about the future? Like beyond when we're both just kids?"

"A little," I replied. "Why, do you?"

"Sometimes," she sighed, and looked up at the sky. "Sometimes I wonder what will happen in the future."

"You shouldn't do that too often," I chided gently. "Don't worry about the future when the present is there too." We both stood, knowing that it was time to leave, when something tugged at my heart. I still wanted to kiss her. That's what I'd been thinking about all night. And so I did.

I don't truly know how it happened, but one second I was thinking about kissing her, and the next… I was. It lasted a long time, too. But eventually we parted, both smiling and blushing. And I knew, for once in my life, I could call a moment perfect. We began walking back home, still silent. I knew she was a bit shocked, as was I. It wasn't like I meant to do it, it just… happened.

"Ilia… are you mad about that?" I asked. She laughed.

"A little surprised," she admitted, "But no, I'm not angry with you. I actually kind of liked it."

"Me too," I admitted. Well, I had. I felt my face go red at the thought.

"Link," said Ilia, in a much different tone, "You're walking past your house." I looked back behind me, where she had stopped.

"So I am," I replied, and then tried to make it seem like I'd meant to do that. "I was going to walk you home, if you like." Her house was a bit of a way from mine, and it did seem like a good idea.

"Oh," she said, seeming surprised again. "Thanks." I didn't know why she was so startled by that, I'd done it before. It was about thirty seconds of silence before she spoke again. "Link…" she trailed off, as her little hand found mine, and her fingers closed around my palm. "I love you."

I knew that she meant it, and I smiled.

Ilia

The next day dawned cold and rainy once more. I was peeking out the window near my bed when I noticed exactly how dreary it was. Trust an April day to be so wet. I opened the window just a little and stuck my hand out, feeling the slight drizzling of rain trickling over my fingers after sliding off the eaves of the roof. I turned my hand over and glanced at it. The back of my right hand kept itching these days, although whenever I looked at it, there wasn't anything wrong. Ever since Link had gotten back, however, there'd been an odd mark appearing and disappearing on my hand, and I had absolutely no clue as to what it was. As soon as I tried to make out the shape of the mark, it disappeared.

I should have asked Link about it by now, but I'd been much to preoccupied with my affections for him. Somehow I felt as though my friendship for him was slipping away, only to be replaced with that strange feeling called love. And the way he'd kissed me last night… I trailed my fingers along the edge of the windowpane and sighed, remembering the moment I'd savored so.

"Ilia!" my father's voice called from downstairs. "Are you up yet?" I leaned over the railing that was the only thing which divided my room from the rest of the house.

"Yes!" I called back down. "I'll be downstairs in a second!" I ran my brush through my blond hair and thumped down the stairs, only to find my father gone. "Dad? Where'd you go?" It wasn't unordinary for him to go running off without reason, but this was even stranger than that. The only noise was the rain pattering on the roof, the rest of the house left in silence. "Dad?"

"Where," a cool, icy voice from behind me said, "is the Hero of Light?"

"Hero of what!?" I squeaked. Was this mysterious voice referring to Link?

"Light," said a man appearing from nowhere. He looked down at me, his red eyes gleaming, which perfectly matched his fire-colored hair. He leaned over and stroked my chin. "Tell me, where is my father's murderer?"

"Murderer? Here? What are you talking about!?" I demanded, my temper rising. He clasped my shoulders and leaned over in my face.

"You know what I'm talking about!" he shouted, loosing his cool demeanor. But truly, I didn't. "Where is that blue-eyed beast!?" he spat. Blue-eyed… I thought of Link. His eyes were so blue that it sometimes distracted me from anything else I was doing. Beast. The wolf. He was talking about Link.

"I'll only speak if you tell me who you are," I said, raising my voice.

"My name is Dragmire. And my father… he is Ganondorf," he said, resuming his ice-cold sharpness. He began to pace around the room. "I will tell you this, for I don't plan on letting you live. I am after my father's Triforce. No one knows who it went to after he was killed by the Hero of Light. The only way to find out is to have the other two shards of the Triforce in the same area, and then… kill the people who hold them. Princess Zelda… and Link."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**Capture**

Ilia

I screamed. I had to. He was going to kill Link, and the only way out of this was to alert anyone I could. He was seeking revenge, and only revenge. Then, the door slammed open, nearly off its hinges, and someone collided with Dragmire, knocking him hard into the wall with a howl like a wolf.

It was all like a blur, Link flying into the room and unsheathing his sword, the blade of which now rested at Dragmire's neck. "DON'T YOU DARE!" he roared with ferocity that I'd never heard in his sweet voice. His blue eyes blazed with passion and anger as he pressed the sword closer to the attacker's neck. Dragmire merely grinned.

"So. The Hero of Light," he said. "I'm glad it was this easy to find you. Using this girl as bait to trap you was a grand idea." His lips curled into a sneering smile, and his crimson eyes narrowed to slits the color of blood. Suddenly, his eyes flew open quickly, and with a burst of dark energy, Link was thrown across the room and into the opposite wall. Dragmire strode over to his unconscious form. "Perhaps I won't have to kill him," he muttered. Link was going to be alright. I sunk back into the shadows, and escaped out of the window. I was the only one who knew of his plan, and couldn't risk being hurt by him because of it. I peered through the window one last time, as he bent over my beloved, examining the Triforce marking on his right hand as a similar marking appeared and faded once more on my own.

Link

I swore to myself that I was going to kill that man. I could still picture him standing over Ilia, with that dagger clutched in his hand. The only problem, however, was the fact that I was locked inside a cell in the remote underground caverns of the Gerudo desert. I was stuck there on Dragmire's orders. He was so much like his father, driven by hate, hate for me. True, he was not Ganondorf, but he sure was alike in his anger.

And the little fiend looked like him, too. His skin was olive-colored, nearly green, and his hair the vivid color I'd remembered. The only difference was his eyes. They were as deep red as the blood now soaking my shoulder from the wound he'd given me. There was no way I'd be able to get out of his one. Why did I do such stupid things? I should have killed him when I'd had the chance.

My only hope was that he didn't have the Triforce of Power which his father had possessed. From the looks of his hunger to kill either Zelda or myself and steal our Triforce magic, it seemed so. Without that, he was just as powerful as a mortal man, and wouldn't need to be defeated with a blade imbedded with the powers of light. The same sword which I'd idiotically returned to its hiding place locked away in a forest.

I moved a little, and a searing pain shot through my shoulder. "Ow," I muttered to myself as I attempted to stand.

"You shouldn't do that," said a voice from afar.

"Who said that?" I asked into the darkness, and the shape of a little elf appeared in my view. "MIDNA!" I nearly shouted, jerking forward, but stopping my attempt to leap to my feet as my shoulder began to ache again.

"You shouldn't stand. You'll faint from loss of blood," she said, and then disappeared and reappeared inside my cell. "Really, why didn't you bandage yourself?"

"Hello. Unconscious," I pointed out, as I tore a strip of cloth off my shirt and wrapped it around the injury. I stood; steadying myself as I nearly fell again. "Now, are you going to help me out of here again?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I'm just sending a hologram form of myself from the next cell over," she said. "I've returned to my normal form, remember?" I sighed.

"Right. You can't just poof us out of here anymore," I remembered. "So, what do we do?"

"Wait for the person who has the Triforce of Power to get here," she suggested.

"And that would be who?" I asked.

"Guess," she replied, her usual fanged smirk on her face again. I rolled my eyes and returned to sitting up against the wall. She pouted, crossing her legs and leaning back in midair. "Aww, you're no fun, Link. She's your girl, you know?"

"What do you mean?" I said sullenly.

"The one you so wanted to save," she chirped. "The one you're sweet on." I knew who she was talking about, but wasn't in the mood for Midna's teasing right then.

"Ilia," I sighed, giving her the answer she so desired. I turned around to face Midna again. "Wait, ILIA!?" She giggled and nodded. "She doesn't even know," I said quietly and returned to being depressed. Midna rolled her eyes.

"Do you really think she's that stupid?" she asked. "I don't, and I think she's an absolute idiot." I reached out and tried to slap her, but my hand went right through her face. "Hologram, remember," she cackled. "But, Link, usually people start to notice when a shiny little mark appears on their hand."

I looked at the Triforce on the back of my hand, and sighed. I had never been helpless like this before. There'd always been some way out before. But now there wasn't. I was trapped here, hoping that someone would come to save me. With Midna for companionship. Could things get any worse?


End file.
